Prior to gaining national notoriety, Breuer was a stand-out talent on the little-known Uptown Comedy Club weekly television show, based in Harlem, New York.[3] Subsequently, Breuer rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1998.[4] On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in Home Improvement. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom Buddies. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of the program, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

In 1998, Breuer hosted "The Jim Breuer Show" on MTV which aired week days at 5:30 PM and again at 1:00 AM during the summer. It included Breuer performing skits as different characters as well as stand-up comedy by guests including Judah Friedlander, Jeff Ross and Tracy Morgan[5]

Breuer has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show Web Junk 20. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice O'Neal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered. The same year, he released a comedy album titled Smoke 'n' Breu.[6]

On July 25, 2009, Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.[citation needed]

Breuer appeared in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase, "Jackpot!".

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the Opie and Anthony Show for many years during their WNEW tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus.[citation needed] With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the Opie and Anthony Show for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008.[7] He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of Fridays with Jim Breuer, (previously known as Breuer Unleashed) which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". One show, while Breuer was singing the classic Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford "The Metal God," singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio still with his coat on and sang with him.[8]

In 2008, Breuer went on his first tour in six years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary More Than Me, as well as his 4 hour DVD The Jim Breuer Road Journals, both of which were released in 2010.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)[9]

In January 2011, he launched a podcast called "The Podcast Masters" with fellow comedian Pete Correale.

In December 2011, Breuer presented at Metallica's 30th Anniversary shows.

^Breuer, Jim (October 5, 2010). I'm Not High: (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior). New York: Gotham Books. ISBN978-1-59240-575-6.

^Keller, Joel (October 16, 2005). "In Person; Mr. Breuer's Neighborhood". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2007. Mr. Breuer's stand-up comedy often revolves around stories about his childhood in Valley Stream, N.Y., on Long Island, his marriage and his neighbors. Living in Chester speaks to how he wants to live.[dead link]